Genetics
by Kamil the Awesome
Summary: Artemis decides to go to the Cave and work on homework. While there, Wally arrives and finds out she's struggling...with SCIENCE! However, he discovers more than he bargained for. Starts just after 110 "Targets" and continues past Season 3.
1. Genetics

A/N: here I am, doing another one shot instead of working on YJU or Halo: Invasion.

Genetics

Artemis was pleased to discover the Cave was empty. Robin and Batman had met her at the zeta booth in Gotham, offering to bring her along on one of their missions. She had declined it, not in the mood to deal with their crazies. Shadows she had no problem with. Green Arrow had only a couple serious enemies, one of them being Merlyn, some evil archer even Roy hadn't faced. Something about personal feuds, if she understood Canary right. She couldn't go to Atlantis and there was no way she was going to visit Kid Flash down in Central. The Rouges there would probably call her his boyfriend, something she didn't need, given Wally's most recent taunts.

Before she could call out for Megan or Connor, she found a note in the kitchen. _Connor and I are going to a party with friends. We'll be back tomorrow. Lucky them_, she thought.

"Looks like I have the Cave to myself." She smiled, pulling out her homework and walked over to the couch. Her father had worked her through a process of going after the toughest and hardest first, a trait that had carried on to her homework habits. _Best thing he gave me_. She pulled out her biology stuff, opening up the textbook.

"You've got to be kidding me." She stared down at the book, unsure of what she was even doing. It was asking her to make Punnett squares, something she hadn't paid attention to. _Instead I had been thinking about the stupid things I told Kid Idiot while in Bialya. He's never going to let go of that 'ninja boyfriend' comment. Hell! It's even a real movie. Maybe I should make him watch it_. Considering the idea, Artemis shook her head. _Naw, he'll get attached to it. But maybe he'll _finally_ leave Megan alone_.

"One," she read aloud. "Make a Punnett square of your parents hair color and mark off the box representing your genes." She stared at the paper for a moment, trying to see if she could remember anything. "Fuck."

"_Recognized, Kid Flash, B-03."_ Artemis looked over towards the zeta tubes; she had barely heard the computer announce the arrival of Wally. She pulled her stuff closer and leaned over, hoping he wouldn't notice her sitting there, working on science. Last thing she needed was to have _Kid Idiot_ get on her case about science. His blabbering about it in the Tower of Fate had been more than enough for her.

Wally zoomed into the kitchen, obviously preparing to empty the fridge. _Isn't like he does that enough_. Artemis continued thinking until she heard the crumbling of food wrappers and pastries stop. She held her breath, hoping he'd either continue eating or walk away and leave.

"You could always ask for help, Arty. Robin told me you were coming here to work on biology." Artemis sighed and dropped her pencil. Rubbing her temples, she looked back at Wally.

"Fine. Help me, Kid Flash." Artemis watched as he tried to suppress a smirk before zooming over, almost sending her papers everywhere. He looked down at the first problem.

"I can't believe you're having trouble with this."

"I was…distracted, in class. Distracted, by my thoughts."

"Thoughts about your ninja boyfriend?" I looked over at Wally and glared. He started laughing, walking around to sit on my other side.

"You almost got it. I was thinking back about how stupid of a thing it was to say."

"Sure, Arty." He grabbed the table she was using and pulled it closer. "First off, we need the square." Wally drew a grid with four boxes. "One of them has to be two small b's, given that blonde is a recessive trait." He looked over. "So parent hair color?"

"Black and blonde." She watched as Wally looked down at the paper for a second before looking up.

"Blonde I believe, but black? That's impossible. You should have black hair, not blonde. Unless your parent with black hair has a recessive gene, which means that there's European ancestry."

"My mother is full Vietnamese. No European there," Artemis said, glaring.

"She can't be _fully_ Vietnamese," Wally said. He scribbled down two small b's for her father and a large b and a smaller one for her mother. "To have the recessive gene, one of her parents had to have a European ancestor, likely Dutch, given they're more likely to carry the gene compared to the French." He rubbed his face. "I think."

Artemis watched on, hoping he'd finish the box. Instead, he held the pencil out for her. "Really?" He nodded. Groaning, she filled in the boxes, guessing that two would have a large b and a small b while the other two would have two small b's. Wally looked it over and smiled.

"Wasn't that hard, right?" Artemis glanced over.

"Don't test your luck, Wally." She paused. "Why are you helping me?"

"You know that you have to be passing all classes, right?" Artemis nodded. "Apparently according to Robin you aren't doing that well in biology and as much as you rile me up, you're still part of this team and I'd hate to be the one on the sidelines, especially because of something as stupid as failing a class. I would call it easy, but you'd just smack me." Artemis smacked the back of his head.

"That's for being a smart ass, Wally." Artemis leaned in and hugged him. "That's for helping me. _Ninja boyfriend_."

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "We'll talk about _that_ later. Let's see what the next one is. 'Number two. Make another Punnett square. This time, use your parent's eye color.'" Wally stared at the paper. "This is the same question. You'll have to settle for blue instead of the stormy grey your eyes are."

"So you know what color my eyes are." Wally cringed as Artemis laughed. "Maybe I should call you 'creeper boyfriend' instead."

"Ha ha. You can do two on your own. 'Three. Draw your parents.' Are they serious?" He looked over and saw that Artemis was pale. "I'm guessing you don't want to talk about your parents." He sighed. "As much as I'd like to see how great your parents look, we can move on."

"No." Artemis stood up. "I'll draw them for you." Wally watched as she started scratching out lines on the paper. He walked away, letting her draw alone. She finished her mom first. Her hand paused, tempted to draw the 'Huntress' lines she had worn during her days in the field. _Before her incident with dad._

Wally returned right before she finished her dad. "I see the resemblance now. You have your father's eye and hair color along with his nose, but everything else from your mother." She glanced up at him, noticing he was staring hard, as if he was thinking. "Something about your dad looks familiar. I see some resemblance to Green Arrow, but he looks like someone we've seen in the field. Which makes no sense."

Artemis watched him think, nervous. She couldn't imagine how he'd react if he figured out Sportsmaster was her father. Megan had told her about their encounter with her father at Santa Prisca, on their first official mission and she had hid her emotions well from the Martian. _Luckily never to the point of too well_.

"I think I know who your dad is," Wally said, clipping Artemis' think time short. He rushed off and was back in twenty seconds with a cut out of something. She watched as Kid Flash laid it down over her father's face: it was his mask.

"Sportsmaster," Wally said, keeping quiet. "That doesn't make any sense. If you're Sportsmaster's daughter, then why are you on this team? Heck, why aren't you dead?" He never looked over at Artemis. He shook his head. "It can't be him. Sure, they look very similar, but there's no way. No way…"

Artemis was shocked by the look in Wally's eyes. He was searching, yet there were traces of pain. _Betrayal_.

"It isn't true, right? I mean, if it is, then Bialya makes more sense now."

"Oh, because us flirting didn't." Artemis covered her mouth, shocked by what she had said.

"Maybe you flirting is weird," Wally began. Before he can continue, Artemis jumped up to her feet and smacked him.

"And here I just thought you were an immature idiot!"

"I don't know about the immature part, but…hey, you never answered my question."

"About what?"

"Sportsmaster being your father." They stared each other down until the computer announced the arrival of Kaldur. Artemis started for the zeta tube chamber, hoping to use Kaldur to ditch Wally for a little bit. _I'll have to circle around for my homework. Shouldn't be too hard. I am almost as ninja as Robin_.

"Artemis, wait!" She paused, unsure of why Wally was trying to get her attention. _While she was angry, of all times_.

"What do you want, Kid Nosy."

"I'm, uh, sorry." He looked down at his feet. "Even if he is your father, it doesn't matter to me." Wally looked up, taking in a deep breath. "You've proven your place on this team. Especially during that scuffle last week with Cheshire." Artemis took a step back when the speedster's eyes got wide. "Is she?"

"Yes. Maybe you could come over and meet my mother." Artemis looked over her shoulder. _No Kaldur yet_. "I'm sure she has some stories about our mentors. There's a great one about my mother and a younger Talia al Ghul breaking into the Batcave, hoping to get Bats laid."

"Did it work?"

"Yes it did." They turned to find Batman standing nearby. "I visit young Damian whenever I can. Ra's has gotten upset on multiple occasions when a lucky Shadow reports me slipping out after a visit." He turned to walk away. "I need to debrief Kaldur. He helped Red Arrow protect Lex Luthor of all people from your family." One step and he glanced back. "It seems the Crock girls have a thing for gingers."

"Something you need to tell me about, Arty?"

"Stuff it, Kid Idiot." With a huff, she stormed out. _Maybe some shooting will calm me down. I should have that Kid Flash poster in my room back home. I'm sure Wally wouldn't mind_.

* * *

Artemis shot for two hours and then there was a full hour of combat drills with the Team and Black Canary. Wally had been grinning about something the entire time and she couldn't figure it out. At first she thought it was about him helping her with her homework, but that had been confirmed when Robin made a comment about her actually doing her homework herself. When training ended, she followed the others to the kitchen, but split off to check her homework first.

It was where she had left it, finished. Wally had mimicked her handwriting down to the 't'. The answers he had written out read just like how she would've done it. When she got to the last page, she found a couple drawings. Reading the prompt, she blanched.

"_Draw your ideal husband/wife. Complete a Punnett square for both eye color and hair color and then draw one possible child."_ Below was a sketch of Wally with his usual smirk. There was no name, but he had drawn a reindeer with lines coming off of its nose. _Wallace Rudolph West? Ha_. Smiling, Artemis erased the animal drawing and replaced it with Wally's full name.

Then she looked at the second drawing. It was a young girl, around seven or eight. Her hair was labeled as being strawberry blonde and her eyes were green. Wally had given her wavy hair, zero freckles, and eyes closer to being European than Asian.

Beneath were a couple comments. _"Didn't know what you want to name her, so I left that alone. Also, make sure to ask Dick Grayson about that time I painted his mentor's work vehicle pink."_ Right before Artemis could stash the homework, she spotted one last message from Wally.

"_It doesn't matter who your dad and sister are. We're your family now."_

A/N: Well, that was fun. Also, would you like to see a second part?


	2. Discovery

A/N: Big thanks to RockyLover, Guest 1, Player Zero, Nightwing's-Assistant, ISCMHF, Guest 2, randomkitty101, thesilentboom, sassysweet2, and Guest 3 for the reviews.

Discovery

Artemis wasn't surprised by the good grade she had gotten on the biology assignment. As much as she'd hate to admit it, Wally did know his sciences. However, the drawings of him and their 'child' he had done on the back had gotten that attention of the TA, a Mister Dick Grayson, the same person KF had brought up at the end of her homework. She had erased the note, but she was sure that Dick knew about it and was planning something.

"Penny for your thoughts?" the freshman she had been thinking about asked. He was as much of a ninja, and a troll, as the Boy Wonder. _Wait a second_.

Artemis glared down at Dick, scheming. "A Wally West told me to ask about the time he painted your mentor's work vehicle pink. I'd love to hear about it." She leaned down. "Robin."

"What are you talking about, _Arty_?" She glared at him until a thought came to mind. Holding him down, she pulled out a pair of sunglasses she had grabbed from a 7/11 on the way to school. Holding it against his face, Artemis laughed.

"Good try, birdy. Tell me about KF painting the Batmobile pink." Dick's mouth opened up to protest her claims, but she glared at him and he shut his mouth.

"If I tell you, promise me you'll ask KF on a date later at the Cave. In front of the whole team."

Artemis stared at him for a couple seconds, deciding. "Fine. I've wanted to see how much of a 'Casanova' he really is." _And if drawing himself on my paper was serious or not_.

"Sure, Arty. I'll tell you on the way to the zeta." She watched as Dick Grayson slipped away into the loose crowds of Gotham Academy. _If he's Robin then that means that Batman is… _Artemis' jaw dropped from the realization. She now knew why she got that scholarship; it was so that she could be watched.

A bell rang and Artemis moved from the spot she had been standing. It was steak and potatoes day at lunch and she didn't want to get any of the well-cooked pieces. She also could use it to taunt Wally and see if she could get the story of how he knew whom Batman and Robin are.

* * *

Wally was sleeping in his science class. It was a lab day, but he had already done the experiment when he was ten years old and filling out the data was as simple as looking through one of the notebooks he still kept on his person at school. He was known to be a heavy sleeper, only waking for food. That was until his eyes opened, part of his body recognizing that he was receiving a message from someone. Opening his phone, he found the most amazing image ever. And then he realized it was Artemis' lunch.

'Good one Arty,' he sent back. One of the idiot football players walked up to him.

"Can you help me out, man?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I'll stop the others from picking on you." Wally raised an eyebrow. Ever since he became Kid Flash, he had changed from who he was to a false person, using clumsiness and his natural desire to learn to make himself less popular. Less friends, less chance of being discovered. It hurt, but it was for the best. He'd be able to open up more in college anyways, a transitional period where he'd become a second Flash for another city. _Maybe something on the West Coast? San Francisco has a STAR Labs and really good Chinese._

"Sure. What do you need help with?" As he followed the kid to his station, his phone buzzed again.

'Least I can do, Baywatch. How did you figure out b+r?'

'Uncle took me to Gotham and we ran into each other. Freeze and Cold were having a play date of their own. It was fun being in the field with the Bats.'

"Who you texting, Wallman?" another football player asked. The third one snickered. He was unsure of how that nickname had stuck for so long, even if he used it himself.

"My ninja girlfriend. Her sister was that assassin who went after Luthor in Taipei." The football players stared at him as if he was crazy. In a way he was. _Creating an electrical explosion in order to bathe in chemicals? That's considered crazy._

"Uh huh. And you're Kid Flash." Wally shrugged, trying to hold back a laugh. If only the monkeys knew. _Maybe I should introduce Supey to them. I know he hates monkeys; maybe he'll hate them_.

"So what do you need help with?"

"Dude. Just give us the answers. We know you still have them. How else would you be able to get away with not doing the lab?"

The phone buzzed. "Excuse me." He may not have many friends, but Wallace Rudolph West was still polite.

'Seems too simple, even for you, Kid Idiot. Still can't believe that I'm here on a batman scholarship.'

"Ok, I'm getting sick of this," a football player said. He reached out for the phone, but Wally pulled back, suppressing his speed as much as he could.

"Hey. If you want to talk with her, I'm sure I could get the money together to have her sister pay you a visit." They glared at him. "Fine! I have this cousin who's figured out who a number of superheroes are. She's in Gotham, so I gave her some hints for Robin. She also figured out who Batman is." They stared at him for a second before laughing. "I'm being serious here."

"Yeah, sure. Fuck you man. We'll ask someone else." Wally walked away, smiling.

* * *

Artemis was surprised that Bruce Wayne would let Dick Grayson walk with her through Gotham. Sure, they were Batman and Robin, but not many others knew that. "So, you want to know about Wally painting the Batmobile pink. You remember that incident with the Joker and Scarecrow fighting over which gas they were going to spread across Gotham?"

"Yeah. My dad was tempted to help Brucie take them down."

"Brucie?"

"Mom's nickname. She's still good friends with Talia."

Dick laughed. "But anyways, Bats calls in for a Leaguer to help out, one who could deal with gas clouds and a large city."

"So the Flash."

"Yeah. A couple months before Wally had his experiment where he recreated the 'Flash' experiment. I remember visiting him in the hospital and he gave me thumbs up."

"You knew him before he was Kid Flash?" Artemis asked. Dick nodded.

"When you're the ward of the Batman and the only other kid your age with super heroes are Roy and Wally, you don't have many choices."

"I understand why now. Must've been a difficult decision."

"Yeah, it was. But still. So both of them arrive and they decide to ground us in the Batcave. I'm all for slipping out, but Wally stumbles across a couple gallons of pink paint while searching for extra food." Dick grinned, remembering what happened next. "He poured them onto the Batmobile. He was that frustrated he had nothing to eat. It didn't help that Alfred arrived soon after with food."

"How bad was Wally's punishment?"

"Next time I saw him was a year later when Central City got a visit from Two Face." Artemis and Dick turned off of the street and into an alley. He put on sunglasses and opened up the zeta booth door. "Ladies first."

"Your town."

"You live here too. Do I need to tell Wally about those hearts you ended up drawing around your child?" Artemis glared at him and stepped inside.

"You tell him nothing, bird boy." Dick laughed as heard, _"Recognized, Artemis, B-07."_

"I may tell him, Arty. Or maybe I'll tell you about how he flirts with M'gann just to make you jealous."

"_Recognized, Robin, B-01."_

* * *

"So what did you name her?" That was Wally's first question. Not "how did you do?" or "what did he say?" Artemis didn't get that sort of luck. Instead he asks about their fictional daughter's name.

"Linda Jay West." She watched his face until he smiled.

"That's better than anything I'd think of." He paused. "I understand the 'West' and she's definitely a 'Linda', but where did you get 'Jay' from?"

Artemis blushed. "I…uh, asked Ollie what the name of the first Flash was." She grinned at him, sheepish.

"I'm sure Jay would be proud of that. A fictional grandchild."

"You could always make a real grandchild," a familiar voice said.

"Dick!"

A/N: I was going to end with Robin zetaing to the Cave, but I decided to add the last bit. Depending on the reaction, this may or may not be the end of the story.


	3. Revelations

A/N: thanks to sassysweet2, randomkitty101, Batsysgirlforlife, thesilentboom, Player Zero, SpitefireLover, and Irenerb for the reviews.

Revelations

Wally was unsure of what game Robin was playing at when the Boy Wonder told him that Artemis had something to tell everyone. He had shrugged off the telling part, assuming she was coming clean to the others about her heritage. However, he was unsure of why him. _Rob could do a better job than me. She doesn't hate him. Of course, he also has a copy of Arty's bio homework that he could use to destroy me in front of the team. Or worse, with GA and Bats_.

He knocked on her door, waiting for the expected rushed opening and a few choice words to try and get him to walk away. Her face poked out from behind the door. "What do you want, Baywatch?"

"Rob said you have something to tell everyone. He…blackmailed me into getting you."

"What I'm going to say to the others is due to a deal I made with him. Which in hindsight was a really bad idea." Artemis took a step into the hallway. "Hell, he even got the better end of the bargain."

"So, what was it?" Wally waited for a moment, hoping for an answer. "Beautiful?" She grabbed his shirt and dragged him into the room. The door closed behind him and a whirl filled his ears for a second.

"The room is Dick proofed." Artemis sat on her bed, arms crossed. "You sure you want to hear it?" Wally nodded and she sighed. "I was supposed to ask you out on a date in front of the entire team."

"No really, what was it?"

She laughed, a hand over her mouth. "That's what he wanted me to do. I was so hell-bent on hearing the story that I agreed to it."

"You know," Wally began, rubbing an invisible beard, "we could walk in arguing about how much we 'hate' each other and then kiss in front of them. We play with that until Robin is so sure we like each other – "

"But we do, don't we?" Artemis asked. "I saw your reaction to the name, and I've been thinking about it while hiding here, hoping that Dick didn't have any other methods to get me out there." Wally smiled at her and she had the sudden feel that whatever he was thinking of would either work out perfectly or would explode in their faces.

"So here's the idea."

* * *

Artemis followed Wally into the main room. The rest of the team was gathered around the kitchen, watching them enter. Robin was in the back, grinning mad.

"So what is it that you want to tell us, Artemis?" Kaldur asked.

"I'm pregnant," she said, loud enough for only Superboy to hear. His jaw dropped and everyone turned to him.

"What is it?" Megan asked. She looked terrified.

"Artemis is pregnant, yet I only hear one heartbeat coming from her." The Team turned to her. She glanced at a smoldering Wally before looking back at the others.

"I just found out, and that was after I started getting nervous about something that happened…yesterday." Artemis twirled her hair, looking away. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize about, Artemis." Kaldur walked up to her, setting a hand on a shoulder. "We'll all be here for you." She smiled until the Batman walked in.

"What is going on here?"

"Artemis is pregnant," Megan said. The entire team was shocked by his surprised look that lasted for a split second.

"Who's the father?"

"I am." Everyone turned to Wally, leaning against the refrigerator. "I was helping Arty with her biology homework and we got…carried away." He sighed, ruffling his hair. "The end of her assignment involved having a child with someone and I joked about us and well, it turned out to not be that much of a joke."

"I'm disappointed in both of you. I'm taking you both off of active duty and you'll be having couple's counseling with Canary." Batman crossed his arms. "We all know how much you need it." He turned away and left.

"Way to go, KF," Robin said. "However, it seems so unlikely that you'd know by now, if creation was last night."

"Last night was our third time together. We've been at it since Bialya." Artemis was proud that she didn't react to his statement. The rest of the team was in shock, not expecting such a revelation. "Something just…changed after it." He looked over at Megan. "I only kept flirting with you because I didn't want anyone finding out."

"What about Artemis?" Superboy asked.

"I was with him the entire time in Bialya. He couldn't hide it from me if he tried. I still enjoy he hid it from the Boy Blunder."

"She's right," Robin said. "I hadn't noticed anything different about either of them since." He shook his head. "Bats is gonna have my head for this one. It'll be worse than how long it took me to get out of my cuffs back at Cadmus." Everyone but Megan looked away.

Wally glanced at Artemis and winked. She gave him a small smile. _I can't believe this is working_.

"What will you two do?" Kaldur asked.

"I don't know," Artemis said. "I haven't told my mother yet."

"I'm scared to tell my parents," Wally said. "Sure, Central City is modern and all, but most people keep to older beliefs. I don't know if they'll kill me or just have me shipped out to a Shadows training ground."

"Something isn't right with you two," Superboy said. "I remember your parents and they don't seem like the type to be social conservatives, even if they live in the Midwest."

"Wait, so Artemis isn't pregnant?" Megan asked.

Wally and Artemis looked at each other for a second before laughing. "Can't believe you all fell for that."

"How are you going to explain your deception to Batman?" Robin asked, grinning.

"Who said anything about explaining to him, Dick." Wally smiled as Batman emerged from the other side of the room.

"I'm disappointed in you, Robin. Letting another teammate discover your identity? It's even worse since they're so close. You're coming home now. You'll get to see the others next week. If you can figure out the puzzle Alfred and I have been working on the past week." Robin groaned and followed his mentor to the zeta tubes, not daring to argue his case. He glared at Artemis.

"School is not going to be fun tomorrow."

* * *

"How did she figure it out?" It had been years since Dick felt nervous under the constant stare of Bruce.

"Wally. He slipped in a message to ask civilian me about when he painted the Batmobile pink. She brought sunglasses similar to the ones I wear around the cave to confirm the suspicion that she likely had."

Batman showed no emotion. "Tell Artemis at school tomorrow that they're both still on inactive duty. Even though it was a lie, incidents like that shouldn't occur again. Such claims before the team are dangerous, especially if they were true."

"Because of her family?"

"Because of her family."

* * *

Artemis ran into Wally at the zeta tubes three hours later, ready to go home. Her mother wouldn't appreciate being back so late, but it wasn't like they'd argue or throw knives at each other.

"What are you doing here, Baywatch?"

"Going home, Arty. What else would I be doing? Waiting for you so I can kiss you goodnight?" Wally had meant to be sarcastic, but the look on Artemis' face made him feel that she wanted a kiss. _What are you doing, Wallman?_

"Where do I get this kiss?" she asked, taking a step closer.

"Where would you like it?" He got closer.

"Right here." Artemis whispered, almost touching Wally. A hand reached out to him as she looked up.

"Here you go, beautiful." He closed the gap and grabbed her lips with his own. The hand on his chest snaked up around his neck and her other went to a shoulder. His hands rested at her sides, just above her hips.

He pulled away, grinning.

"Night, beautiful."

A/N: sorta weird, writing fluff like that. Part of the chapter got out of control.


	4. Aftermath

A/N: thanks to Guest, Spitfire1017, Player Zero, and Irenerb for the reviews. Nice to see people still enjoying this fic.

Aftermath

Artemis felt strange when she woke up. Even though it was early, a feeling of freshness was present throughout her body. As much as she wanted to chalk it up to being caused by figuring out that annoying freshman Grayson was Robin or that Bruce Wayne was the Batman, she knew it was because of Wally. She groaned and climbed out of bed. Even though she liked to claim she hated the speedster, she knew that it was just a lie. Now she just had to make sure nobody found out about it.

"Artemis! A boy is at the door!"

"Dammit Baywatch," Artemis said, leaving her room. She walked over to the front door and opened it to find not Wally, but Kaldur.

"Batman told me that we should talk about dating within the team. I already talked to M'gann and Connor, per Batman's request."

"What did they say?"

"They claimed that I had no idea what I was talking about. They're going undercover soon, thus I believe they'll be together when they come out."

Artemis crossed her arms, a tad uncomfortable in her pajamas. _Especially when you're before your team leader_. "What does this have to do with me?"

"I saw the tape of you and Wally from last night. Zeta tube chamber. Robin doesn't know yet, but it's possible he'll figure out soon enough."

"Let me guess: you're going to visit Wally next."

"No. The Flash will talk to his protégé about the issue. I am returning to Atlantis with my King before I join Superboy and Miss Martian as backup."

"Okay. Thanks for the stop, Kal." The Atlantian nodded and walked away. Artemis rubbed her face and turned back inside.

"What was that about, Artemis?"

"Apparently I'm in some sort of trouble with the Bat. I'll pay him a visit after classes." Artemis walked into the bathroom before her mother could reply and got into the shower.

* * *

Wally was surprised to find Barry downstairs in the morning. Sometimes Iris would come by early, but he never saw his uncle at such a time.

"Hey kiddo," Barry said, rubbing red hair. "We need to talk. About girls."

"This better not be one of those 'you can't tell them your secret identity' conversations. I've had enough of them to last five Robins." Barry glared and Wally shrugged.

"According to Bats, you've got something going on with Artemis. Last I heard you two hated each other, but after seeing your nab a kiss, I was shocked."

Wally looked into the kitchen, noticing a large plate of food. "So when will GA come by and lecture me about dating his 'niece'?"

"He's visiting her at her school instead. Apparently Robin is going to film the reaction of the school when they find out 'charity case' is the niece of Oliver Queen. At least, that's what Batman expects." Wally laughed.

"Charity case? That's one I never would've thought of. Maybe I should swing by and find out who came up with that one. Probably could get them to eat drugged brownies."

Barry rolled his eyes and brought a hand to his face. He walked towards the door, shaking his head. "I don't think your new girlfriend would appreciate such a move, especially Artemis. As much as I love having a fellow speedster that isn't Jay, I'd rather not splatter chemicals and electricity on another kid."

"Thanks uncle. Patrol tonight?"

Barry smiled. "Patrol. Be back in a flash." For the first time in years, Wally laughed at his uncle's horrible joke.

* * *

Dick Grayson knew it was a bad idea to hack League files at school, but with the hunched form he used over his phone, he wasn't worried about anyone discovering that he dressed up in spandex and fought super villains. That and he used the same name as a bird. He ignored the crowds until he picked up a familiar name.

"So apparently Oliver Queen of all people is Charity Case's uncle. Who would've thought some girl from Gotham North would be related to a rich man." Dick knew that Artemis was called 'Charity Case'; he recognized it as one that had once been used on him, long ago when he was eight. Someone had decided he grew out of it when he turned ten.

"Nice to see some things never change," Grayson said to them. They glared at him and continued on, waiting until they were far away before returning to their conversation. He continued walking, now turning to figuring out where Artemis and Ollie were.

"You lost Grayson? Or you trying to find the other Charity Case."

"Ha ha, you got me there, Alex."

"I told you to call me Luthor, Grayson. You don't even deserve the name Wayne."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Just tell me where my fellow charity case is."

Alex smirked. "Down the hall in 207. Be careful though. They're talking about some boy from Central." Luthor walked away, smashing his shoulder into Dick's. _Boy from Central? Why would they be here and talk about Wally? Wait. Wally_. Grayson's mouth dropped and he smiled. He turned from his path towards 207 and headed for the cafeteria. He'd bother Artemis about her relationship with KF later.

_Like at the zeta tube, perhaps_.

* * *

Artemis was surprised she had done it. Saved her team from certain death at the hands of the Reds, evil siblings of Red Tornado. After Robin complimented her on being 'traught', she headed down to the lower level where Wally and Connor waited, still trapped.

"You gonna cut us out yet, beautiful?"

"EMP turns off all machines, Kid Idiot."

"Hey, who came up with the idea to use part of the x-ray machine as an EMP? This guy." Wally grinned and she rolled her eyes.

However, the arrival of Red Tornado distracted them. The laser cutter she had grabbed turned on. Tornado turned on them, dropping them like flies. When they woke, the League had arrived and already set to freeing KF and Superboy. Wally walked over to her once freed.

"Can't believe you two have hid this for two weeks," Robin said, grabbing both of them. "Don't worry. Kaldur probably knew right after Bialya and M'gann already talked about you two being together."

"When was this?" Wally asked, turning on Artemis. She glanced away before looking back, smiling. Robin had already slipped off.

"Right before we went to help Kent Nelson."

"Huh." Wally stole a kiss from Artemis before the rest of the team turned to them, checking more on Kid Flash than the archer. She slipped away from them, smiling.

_They can all know later. Maybe New Years_.

A/N: Next chapter is going to be a fast forward, and then maybe a couple after that. I think I now see the light at the end of the tunnel. So tell your friends so they can wait as patiently (or impatiently) as you.


	5. Reveal

A/N: Thanks to Irenerb and Player Zero for the reviews. I would love for more people to review alongside these two.

Reveal

Artemis didn't like finding herself with just Kid Flash to take down their mentors and Aquaman. The Flash kept grabbing her arrows while his protégé tried to get GA to hit Aquaman.

"I'm surprised we've lasted so long." Wally raced back to her, a couple arrows in hand.

"They're being controlled by a single person. Whomever it is has to deal with all of us, and thus is distracted." He handed the arrows over, dodging a shot from Green Arrow. "The thing putting us in danger is the same thing that's keeping us alive." Wally smiled. "We'll make it out fine, babe."

"Artemis, Kid," Aqualad shouted, running into the hangar. He slammed shut the door he had entered. "Hold on." Wally nodded to Artemis, who shot a grapple line onto the door. Kaldur pressed a button and the space door opened. They held on as the pressure fell. Flash almost made it to Aqualad before the pull became too much for him. As their mentors tumbled away, Kal shut the door.

Wally glanced at Artemis for a split second when they hit the ground. He got to his feet and besides the Leaguers before they could move. Chips were on them a second after. Kaldur made his way over to look down at the three.

"Apologies, my King."

"I don't think he needs it," Wally said. "He'll be proud of what we've done. Once he wakes up, of course."

"We must join with the others. Kid Flash, take Artemis and rendezvous immediately. I'll follow." Wally nodded and picked up the archer. She held on tight until they left the chamber, relaxing in his arms.

"We should tell them," he said. Artemis looked up.

"It's almost midnight. We should just show them." Wally grinned down, ideas she couldn't guess at going through her head. They soon reached the rest of the team to spot Vandal Savage and Klarion preparing to make their escape. Kid Flash dropped Tigress and sped up, hoping to tackle the ancient villain. They escaped right as the speedster arrived, grumbling.

The team raced up besides him. "They got away. Savage and Klarion." Wally looked at them, a light smile on his face.

"They may've gotten away, but we still won the day," Kaldur told the team. A holographic monitor popped up with the time.

_00:00:00 EST_. "Happy New Year, Justice League."

Wally glanced at Artemis and she nodded. He picked her up bridal style, staring. "I should've done this a long time ago."

"No kidding," Artemis said, getting more comfortable in his arms. Their lips touched and the team stared at them for a second before Superboy began asking the other guys for money.

Wally continued on for a couple seconds before pulling away. "You guys betted on us?" The entire team nodded, minus Rocket.

"I still can't believe Superboy won," Zatanna said, rubbing her face. "I was so sure that you had been with Wally ever since the pregnancy scare. Kaldur was the only one who didn't laugh at that idea." She stopped, seeing the knowing smirks on the new couple's face. "Really?" The magician turned to Superboy. "I'll be taking this."

"Don't you have your own boys to kiss?" Artemis asked the other females. M'gann laughed before Superboy pulled her in, silencing her with lips. Zatanna grabbed the front of Robin's cape and dragged him over to her. She nabbed his lips before he could react. He was stiff for a second before his arms dropped into a natural spot. Rocket said something to herself as she gave Kaldur a quick peck on his cheek.

"Human customs continue to elude me," Red Tornado said, spotting the teenagers kiss.

* * *

The League and the Team all joined together for a debriefing. They went over all of the various connections between the Light and everything they had faced since the original Speedy disappeared for a while three years ago. Both teams worked together to paint the entire plan until all that remained unknown was a chunk of 16 hours, where six League members were somewhere else on a mission. None of them remembered the time period.

"We are adjourned," Batman said to the gathered group. They began dispersing back into the Watchtower, a variety of tasks to complete, including removing Savage's access code.

Kid Flash had tried to slip over to his uncle and mentor, but Green Arrow reached him first.

"We need to talk."

"This is about Artemis, isn't it?" GA nodded. "Don't worry about us. Actually, scratch that. Be worried about me surviving if I ever make her angry." The older archer laughed.

"Go talk with your uncle. I'll harass your girlfriend." Wally made no move to correct GA. Instead he walked away, happier than he had been in a while.

"Thanks for hiding me from Green Arrow, Flash," Artemis said. The older speedster grinned.

"Least I could do for GA's 'niece'. Also, you don't need to call me Flash. Just call me 'Uncle Barry'." Artemis stared at the man in red before rolling her eyes and sighing.

"You're both so similar. I can't believe that nice Iris lady on TV got married to you."

"Don't make fun of Barry too much, Arty." She resisted the urge to make a fist and smash in Wally's face, even if it only lasted for a couple seconds. "He's so worried someone will figure out that he's married to Iris. I'm assuming you've seen the videos of them flirting, right?"

"Of course, Kid Idiot." They both looked around, noticing Barry had slipped off.

"And I was going to talk to him," Wally said. He pointed Artemis towards Superman and Superboy. They appeared to be talking, and the clone wasn't angry yet. Instead he looked happy.

"Look's like Canary's loosing a student."

"You want to go explore?" Artemis glared at Wally for not remaining on topic.

"Sure," she said, the glare faded into a smirk.

A/N: 3 chapters left. Yeah, I know. SO EVIL OF MEH!


	6. Swan Song

A/N: Thanks to andrea-ninja girl, speedreader1999, Spitfire1017, Player Zero, and Irenerb for the reviews. Hopefully this chapter will be out faster.

Swan Song

Wally West woke up excited for the 17th time in his life. He couldn't say 18, since today was his 18th birthday and Christmas was never as great as his birthday. He then remembered what else it was: a farewell party. He was hanging up the mask today, the first of the sidekicks to do so. Artemis would join him in three months, just before her 18th birthday. They had plans, ones that they found didn't work side by side with the life of the mask.

"Wally! Someone's here to see you!" He stretched, leaving his room and walked down stairs. Standing in the doorway was Artemis, smiling.

"Nice to see you're out of bed, Baywatch. You know what's in five minutes?" Wally stared at her for a second before slapping his forehead.

"Breakfast with your mom. I'm really hoping that Jade and Roy don't stop by." He turned around and headed back up.

"You know they're family," Artemis shouted up at him. "Don't take too long with that shower. You still have to get dressed, run us to the zeta tube, and then get us to the apartment."

"And try not to be late," Wally reminded himself, grumbling. They were out the door in two minutes, five sixths of that time used in the shower. They were in Gotham a minute later and arrived seventy seconds before breakfast was ready.

"Don't be too proud of yourself, Baywatch. I still like some things slow." She slipped away to join her mother in the kitchen before he could respond. Wally grinned. After five minutes, the two Crock women emerged from the kitchen, a bedazzling amount of food with them.

"Maybe I should come over more." Wally glanced over when they groaned. "That was out loud, wasn't?"

"Just like that, Baywatch." He looked up to see both of them smiling. It was infectious and he joined in on the grinning. Wally and Artemis didn't leave for an hour, caught up in talking with Paula. Jade stopped by for a couple minutes, wishing Wally happy birthday and making a comment about 'tastes in redheads'.

"Now where?" Artemis asked. Wally told her that they would be visiting some people before heading to the cave.

"Just got to find that mirror." Digging through his pockets, Wally pulled out a small mirror. "Please try not to vomit when we get to the other side. That happened on my first trip through."

"Through what?"

"The looking glass."

* * *

Wally was proud that Artemis didn't vomit after being pulled through the Mirror World by Sam.

"Nice to see you got his girlfriend too," Len said. "Wouldn't want her missing our going away party for Baby Flash." Mark, Jesse and Digger laughed at the nickname.

"Wally. Who are these guys?"

"Flash and I have poker nights with them every other Tuesday. Rest of the time we're running after them." Artemis stared at them as Wally asked, "Is Hartley and Mick skipping? I understand Lisa not being here, but…"

"But we were off getting food for you," Hartley said, arriving. Mick was behind him, carrying a homemade cake.

"Lisa should be here soon, Baby Flash. I'll get those eighteen candles ready."

"Good idea," Wally said, rolling his eyes. "Let the pyromaniac light the candles on my cake. Maybe there'll be a slice that won't get dried out." Artemis elbowed his ribs, glaring.

"You should be thankful that they aren't robbing banks right now."

"We'll be doing it tomorrow," James said, poking his head in between them. "I want to see how soon we can get you to unretire."

"That's not a word," Wally said, glaring.

"Your best friend butchers the English language constantly. I'm still surprised he can find words to chop up."

"Like how my surprise party will be quite the 'prise." Artemis glared at Wally.

"Can't believe you did that." He shrugged.

"I just happen to be feeling the aster."

* * *

Wally arrived to Mount Justice via zeta tube. Unlike the birthday two years ago, the computer didn't announce the network shutting down. The two young Marvels, Lieutenant and Sergeant, jumped from above the tubes, scaring him.

"SURPRISE!" Wally looked over to see the rest of the team, along with Tornado, Canary, Batman, and Flash was there.

"Happy birthday Wally." M'gann floated over to him. "I can't believe you're giving up the life."

"I'm just the first one." Wally looked to Artemis. "It's strange, giving this up." He laughed to himself. "Maybe I'll return one day, when I have a job and maybe a protégé of my own."

"Don't think you'll be the only one."

"Wouldn't imagine it any other way."

He leaned in to kiss her, but a feminine groan interrupted them. They looked over at Troia, Wonder Woman's younger sister. "I can't believe a speedster would pick a girl over food. It's as if the stories of the Flash Diana told me are all lies."

"Did she say anything about me?"

"Other than you're a flirty idiot with a girlfriend? Nope." The Amazon walked off, saying something so that only Conner could hear her. He looked over at Wally.

"You don't want to know."

"Ready for cake, KF?" Nightwing asked. The new Robin stuck next to him, still using the older protégé as a guide.

"Of course, Wingy. How many do I get this year?"

"Only two," Artemis said, walking him to a couch. "Maybe you'll get lucky and actually participate in a League/Team mission. That'd be a nice way to finish your career." Smiling, he blew out the candles.

_Let us have a joint mission with the League_. It was a simple wish, but would be worthy of being his farewell mission. A voice echoed through the cave as M'gann cut the first slice.

"Suit up, team. Briefing in five." The party fell apart fast, everyone pushed by Batman's order. Wally walked in last, shoveling three slices into his mouth.

"Are you sure you want to join us?" Batman asked Kid Flash. He nodded.

"Good. This is joint mission with the League…"

A/N: looks like this'll be out before the last episode. Review with predictions. Also, two more chapters.


	7. Flashpoint

A/N: thanks to speedreader1999, Player Zero, and Irenerb for the reviews. I may just become a Red Lantern because of that finale. Killing Wally and teasing Darkseid? Such villainy.

I usually don't do this, but why not. I don't own Young Justice. If I did, it would've ended with Wally sitting in a field, staring up at the stars. It would've cut to the black, and then he would've said: "I'll be seeing you soon, Spitfire."

Flashpoint

Wally West had dinner with Kent and Inza Nelson every night. He never would've guessed that the afterlife would have day cycles, but it made sense. It was June 20, 2016 when he died. It was because he was too slow, even though he saved the world. He just couldn't get what he wanted.

"She didn't even know about the ring," Wally said. The Nelsons stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"You were going to propose to her, weren't you?" Wally smiled; somehow Kent was able to guess every little thing that bothered him. At times it was the weirdest thing, but other times it helped keep him sane. As sane as a dead man could be, he remembered.

"I was. If Barry and Bart could've handled the vortex, I would've stayed put on the Watchtower." He leaned back, pushing his hair back. "My hero instincts kicked in and what ends up happening? I die. At least Barry told Artemis that I loved her." He stared at his plate.

"I'm going back."

Kent raised an eyebrow. "How will you do such a thing?"

Wally held out his arm, small sparks of lightning jumping off in arcs. "I still have my speed. I don't know how, since it was tied to my physical body, which was destroyed when I died."

"It wasn't." Kent smiled at the confused look. "The energy released from your body when you died still exists at the North Pole. In fact, it hangs around Superman's Fortress of Solitude." The ancient magician winked. "Your Spitfire is waiting, Wally. Go back to her." _Artemis_. They both hear the unspoken name.

Wally stood up, consumed in electricity. The yellow bolts swirled around him, moving in and out, jumping off at times. As fast it had arrived, it faded away. Standing there was a new Flash, the colors darker. His gloves and lower body were black while the bright red of Barry's costume had been toned down.

"Goodbye, Kent. Inza. I will miss you both." He sped to them, sweeping them into a tight hug. "I'll be back one day with Artemis. Maybe even Nelson, our dog, will be here."

"Goodbye Wallace Rudolph West. You'll do us proud." Wally smiled and turned away. He raced off into a tunnel of bright colors, leaving behind a dark trail and golden bolts.

"You knew he was going back, didn't you," Inza said. Kent smiled.

* * *

Wally could feel it. The new source of his power. No longer was it tied to him recreating Barry's experiment. Now it was different, more alive. A vortex of colors swirled around him as he ran, his new look reflecting off of it. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he found himself at the place where he died.

_There was a reason you died, Bolt_. Wally looked around, shocked. The voice reminded him of M'gann, yet it sounded like Artemis. A specter appeared nearby.

"You died so that I could come into the world. You are my Champion." He turned to face a man of pure energy. Yellow traces kept it from blending into the snow behind. "I am the Speed Force, the source of your power, and soon to be the source of every speedster's power."

"Why me? Why not Barry?"

The entity laughed. "You are different from the others. Bart was born with his Speed while Jay got his on accident. Barry got his as a test, to see if he could replicate an accident. Yet it was you who burdened yourself with the Speed not because you wanted to be like the Flash, as you may've convinced yourself, but to help people."

"You picked me because I wanted to be a hero?" The entity nodded. Wally looked down. "Why did you call me 'Bolt'?"

"You're a new hero, and Barry won't be joining me anytime soon." The Speed Force entity faded. _A man who calls himself Zoom is abusing my gift. Your uncle could use the help_. Wally smiled before taking off for Central City. It took a speedster minute to bridge the 2,700 miles between the two points and he doesn't even feel tired.

Zoom and Flash are battling in the downtown area. Kid Flash and the Rogues are getting people out of the area. For some reason, Barry hasn't made a move to get the rogue speedster out of the city. Bolt glanced up to spot an orange figure on the rooftops. Long, blonde hair follows Tigress and he smiles. _Artemis_.

He watched as she engaged Zoom, jumping for his back. Just before she can land, a fist swung up and knocked her away.

"I got her KF. Focus on those civilians." The command is automatic and Wally has the sudden vision of him as the Flash and Bart as Kid Flash. It's as right as being with Artemis. He glanced up and there she is, falling. The catch is just like the one in Paris, a little before he died.

"Who are you?" Nice to see some people don't change.

"Now that hurts, beautiful. Who else could've made such a catch?" He sets her down. "It's Bolt now, Spitfire." He hears "Baywatch" roll off her tongue as he returns to the fight. He rushed in, just like he did before death. Zoom doesn't notice him until he is launched upward. _And he's moving at 11.2 km/s. Flash fact: that's escape velocity_.

It's a reporter that gets to him first. He doesn't recognize the Asian lady. "Linda Park with KBS. Who are you?" Wally holds back a laugh.

"I was Kid Flash, but now I go by Bolt." A hand lands on his shoulder and he looks over at Barry.

"I saw you die before my eyes. How are you here?"

"Something changed for sure," Bart interjected. Wally smiled at the new Kid Flash, rubbing his head.

"Good to see you too." He glanced at the newswoman. "Could you give us a moment? I just came back from the dead." Before he could answer whatever questions the other Flashes had, Tigress pushed her way in.

"You idiot!" Wally opened his mouth just to have her hand slap him silly. "That's for being dead for five months." Artemis then grabbed the front of his costume and pulled him forward into the best kiss of his life. "That's for coming back." A silly grin came to her face. "Happy birthday, Baywatch."

Wally swooped her up into his arms bridal style. "If you excuse us, I need to have a talk with the missus." He took off, stopping three speedster minutes later in Paris. He dropped her off right where they had kissed the last time they were there. A crowd watched them, not yet hearing the news of his resurrection.

"Artemis, or Tigress now, you're the most important person that's ever existed. There was something I had with me when I left the Watchtower, assuming that I'd get to do this after we saved the world." He dropped to a knee as dim flash emerged from his hand. He opened it to reveal a ring. "Will you marry me?"

"Of course, Baywatch." She pulled him up into a kiss as he slid the ring on over her costume.

"Kent and Inza Nelson say hi."

A/N: I already knew that episode 220 "Endgame" was going to have an effect on the story. Wally dying just proved to be a useful speed bump. One more and I am done with this story. I'm thinking about a mock season three, which will have Wally return from the dead. We all knew it was going to happen.


	8. Octavarium

A/N: thanks to Mr. Wartburg, Irenerb, NoLongerHidden, and Player Zero for the reviews. Here I am at the end of this story. I just hope you all remember the beginning. Also, props to anyone who recognizes the chapter name.

Octavarium 

Five years after his return from the dead, Wally received the mantle of The Flash, Fastest Man Alive, from his Uncle Barry. Bart was still Kid Flash, and was now starting to catch up. His encounter with the Speed Force had thrown the plans of Vandal Savage out of balance and in the end; the threat of Darkseid was mopped up with ease. Yet what had him most nervous on the early October day wasn't his obligation to Central City.

His wife, Artemis Lian Crock West, had just gone into labor. Barry had drifted away from teaching his kids to control their speed to help patrol while Wally waited to become a father just like his mentor.

"Took you long enough," his wife shouted between pushes.

"Sorry beautiful. Got hung up while transferring the ring over to Barry. Hartley helped out a little, creating a small break in crime."

"Oh, that's just wonderful," Artemis said, continuing to push. "How about you sit down and shut _up_!" Wally did as she asked and watched as the woman he loved suffered. He wanted to do so much to relieve her pain, but there was nothing to be done, other than wait, and block out his heroic instinct.

* * *

After seven grueling normal hours, the screams of a newborn filled the room, overpowering the grunts coming from the child's mother. When she was handed her daughter, she turned to Wally.

"I know the perfect name." He glanced down at his daughter and smiled.

"Is it the one I think it is? From before we were together?"

"Yes."

Smiling, Wally leaned down so he was close to the two most important women in his life. "Welcome to the family, Linda Jay West."

A/N: DONE!


End file.
